Bands to Invoke Inspiration

Music can play a huge role in your life. From inspiring your creativity to reliving good/bad memories, it surrounds us all in one way or another. Luckily the group of artists that I share the majority of my waking hours with have exceptional taste in music. I am constantly surprised by the amount and variety of great jams that keep us motivated and the creativity flowing.

Two of my co-workers actually started a music podcast called Song Buzzards, which you should definitely check out, as their taste in music is one of the best.

Anyway, here are some of the bands that I’ve become accustomed to having on stand-by at all times when I need music to work to (which happens to be almost exclusively).

Tame Impala

I’m starting off strong with Tame Impala. These Australian psychedelic rock/pop gents sure know how to get your toe tapping. Their heavy use of looping, phasing and reverb creates almost hypnotic melodies that stick in your head for days. The crazy thing is, these guys are really just one guy (in the studio) by the name of Kevin Parker. Kevin writes, performs and produces the music by himself.

Cruisr

This Philadelphia based surf/indie pop band is full of sunshine and smiles. It’s difficult to be sad when hearing their uplifting beats and lyrics. Their video for All Over had huge success as a viral video on Vimeo, helping to launch them into a higher tier of stardom.

Glass Animals

This London-based band has a sound that’s halfway between Massive Attack (trip-hop) and Alt-J/Bastille (rock/indie). Their soothing sounds tip-toe on the cusp of almost a sexy R&B vibe. Their Zaba album is easily my most played album of the last two plus years.

Purity Ring

This electronic duo produces some amazing synth/dream pop songs to relax and be inspired by. Borrowing a very similar sound (both musically and vocally) to Chvrches, these two really know how to create an almost ethereal sort of sound. Purity Ring tends to make you think “Didn’t I just hear this song?” Though this may sound like a bad thing, each song tends to have just enough of a different sound and view on their overall feeling, that it works perfectly.

Sir Sly

Dreamy ambiance is something that this band excels at. These guys produce catchy choruses spun around gloomy tones, that are mixed over electronic beats. It’s a combination that creates earworm after earworm that haunt you (they have a song called You Haunt Me – – get it?)

Joywave

You’ve most likely heard their collaboration with electronic music project Big Data, “Dangerous”. The rest of their debut almost spits out hit, after hit of indie/electro rock goodness. With sweet-sounding vocals, synth pop rhythms, and high chance of foot-tapping, these guys should be at the top of your download-list for sure!

Portugal.The Man

These guys have a wide range of sound that spans from MGMT, to Spoon, to even hints of Nirvana. Though they are a little sporadic with their sound, when they nail it (such as Purple Yellow Red and Blue), they knock it out of the park!

If you liked this roundup of some of my favorite bands, let me know. I’d love to keep doing this on a more regular basis. Check the songs out, hopefully some of them stick with you and inspire you to create wonderful things.